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Jewish Diaspora

Latkes (Potato Pancakes)

Hanukkah's defining food is a shallow-fried potato pancake — grated raw potato and onion squeezed completely dry, bound with egg and minimal flour or matzo meal, fried in generous hot oil until deep golden and crisp. The frying in oil commemorates the miracle of the temple oil; the latke's golden, crackling exterior contrasting with the soft potato interior is the technical achievement. The critical steps are the squeezing — removing as much moisture as possible from the grated potato — and the oil temperature — hot enough to immediately sear the surface without absorbing oil. Served with cold sour cream or applesauce, the pairing of hot-crispy against cold-acidic is the flavour architecture of the dish.

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ServesFour portions
Sourced2of 9 in BC
Cook
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I

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

4 large
floury potatoes
peeled, coarsely grated
Origin · FranceLekker · Vancouver →
1 medium
yellow onion
coarsely grated
Your own market
2
eggs
lightly beaten
Your own market
1–2 tbsp
plain flour or matzo meal
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
½ small
apple
peeled, finely grated
Origin · New ZealandPurely Artisan Foods · San Diego →
to taste
fine salt
Your own market
For frying
sufficient to fill pan 1 cm deep
neutral oil
e.g. sunflower or vegetable
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
To serve
as needed
sour cream
cold
Your own market
as needed
applesauce
cold
Not yet stocked in British Columbia

Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

II

The Method

1
Combine the grated potato and grated onion in the centre of a clean cloth. Gather the cloth and twist firmly, squeezing over a bowl until absolutely no further liquid can be extracted. Open the cloth, turn the mixture into a separate bowl, then allow the collected liquid to stand until the starch settles. Pour off the water and scrape the white potato starch back into the grated mixture. The mass should feel dry and compact, not slick or wet — any residual moisture will prevent crisping.
2
Add the beaten eggs, flour or matzo meal, grated apple, and salt to the dried potato mixture. Mix until the binder is evenly distributed but do not overwork. The mixture should just hold together when a small amount is pressed in the palm — if it weeps liquid, squeeze again in the cloth.
3
Pour oil into a wide heavy pan to a depth of approximately 1 cm. Heat over medium-high until the oil registers 175–180 °C. To test without a thermometer, drop a strand of grated potato into the oil — it should sizzle immediately and vigorously on contact.
4
Working in uncrowded batches, place heaped spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil, pressing each lightly into a round disc approximately 1 cm thick. Do not press with the spatula during frying and do not crowd the pan; each latke requires its own space to sear rather than steam. Fry until the underside is deep golden and the edges show a defined, lacy crust — approximately 3–4 minutes.
5
Turn each latke once and fry the second side until equally deep golden. Lift onto a rack or absorbent paper. The latke should feel rigid at its edges and yield slightly only at the very centre when pressed — a soft or pliable edge indicates undercooking.
6
Serve immediately from the oil alongside cold sour cream and cold applesauce. The thermal and textural contrast — hot and crackling against cold and acidic — is the intended sensory architecture; latkes held more than a few minutes lose their crust and become sodden.
III

Quality Hierarchy

01
Reserve — Old, high-starch floury potatoes (such as Russet or King Edward) from late-season harvest, freshly grated to order; farm-fresh eggs; hand-pressed applesauce made the same day; full-fat sour cream from a small dairy.
02
Estate — Good-quality floury potatoes from a known variety; free-range eggs; a quality commercial applesauce with no added sugar; full-fat sour cream.
03
Market — Standard floury potatoes available at a greengrocer; medium eggs; commercial applesauce; commercial sour cream.
04
House — Any available floury potato, squeezed rigorously; standard supermarket eggs, flour, and condiments — the technique of thorough squeezing and correct oil temperature matters more than ingredient provenance at this level.
IV

Sensory Tests

◇Touch. Squeezed potato mixture feels dry and compact in the cloth; no liquid weeps from the mass when pressed in the palm.
◇Sound. A strand of grated potato dropped into the oil sizzles immediately and vigorously, confirming the oil is at frying temperature.
◇Sight. The underside of the latke is deep golden with a defined, lacy edge before the first turn is made.
◇Touch. The finished latke is rigid at its edges; only the very centre yields slightly under a fingertip.
◇Where it lives or dies. The dish lives or dies on the squeezing: residual moisture in the grated potato mixture causes steaming in the pan, preventing the characteristic deep-golden, crackling crust from forming.
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The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
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VI

What to Pour

A dry or off-dry white wine with enough acidity to cut the frying oil; a light lager whose carbonation and bitterness refresh between bites; or cold apple cider, which echoes the applesauce condiment and reinforces the dish's flavour architecture.

The whole pairing
Pillar VII
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Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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Sourced through Provenance

The hands behind the plate.

Lekker
Vancouver · floury potatoes
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Purely Artisan Foods
San Diego · apple
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